Ameh Ojo
… Says Security Reforms, Military Welfare, Rural Electrification Strengthen President’s Chances
By Isaiah Benjamin, Kaduna
The political temperature ahead of the 2027 presidential election received a fresh jolt yesterday as the Arewa Youth Assembly for Good Leadership (AYAGL) declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu enjoys a broadening support base in Northern Nigeria and will face no serious opposition from the region.
The group, in a strongly worded political statement issued in Abuja, said Northern youths had resolved to support Tinubu’s bid for a second term, citing what it described as the administration’s interventions in security, military welfare, pensions, rural electrification and grassroots economic development.
AYAGL, which said it speaks for millions of young Nigerians, socio-political groups and grassroots movements across the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, said its position followed consultations with traditional leaders, political analysts, youth coalitions, agrarian unions and civil society actors.
Its verdict was unequivocal: Tinubu will be returned by the North in 2027.
The group said its position was not based on political expediency, but on what it described as “verifiable indicators of patriotic governance, equitable distribution of federal patronage and strategic elevation of outstanding Northern administrators into national leadership.”
In the statement signed by its President, Alhaji Danbature Abdul, AYAGL argued that the Tinubu administration had demonstrated a willingness to give Northerners meaningful responsibility within the federal government while simultaneously pursuing programmes it said were directly impacting communities across the region.
Security featured prominently in the group’s assessment of the administration.
AYAGL commended the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, for what it described as stronger inter-service coordination and intensified military operations against terrorists, bandits and insurgents.
The group said the Defence Ministry had recorded significant progress in the fight against violent criminal groups operating across the North-East, North-West and North-Central regions.
It also linked improved military morale to the administration’s review of salaries, allowances and hazard benefits for members of the armed forces.
According to the group, the welfare measures demonstrated that the government recognised the sacrifices of soldiers deployed in the nation’s most difficult security theatres.
“Under the direct vision of President Tinubu, Gen. Musa championed the historic upward review of salaries, operational allowances and hazard benefits for our gallant armed forces,” AYAGL stated.
The organisation said the measures had “rejuvenated frontline morale” and sent a strong message that the sacrifices of military personnel were being recognised by government.
The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, also came under the spotlight as the Northern youth body praised his role in coordinating the country’s intelligence and internal security architecture.
AYAGL credited Ribadu with strengthening intelligence-sharing and supporting operations against violent non-state actors, oil thieves and bandit networks.
The group described the NSA’s leadership style as “non-nonsense” and integrity-driven, maintaining that his coordination had brought greater cohesion to the national security establishment.
The organisation also praised the leadership of the Military Pensions Board, saying reforms in pension administration had improved the welfare of retired military personnel.
It said the adoption of technology and stronger financial controls had helped address longstanding administrative challenges and improve the speed and reliability of pension payments.
For Northern communities struggling with inadequate electricity supply, AYAGL said the activities of the Rural Electrification Agency had provided another major reason for its support for the administration.
The group singled out REA Managing Director/CEO Abba Abubakar Aliyu, crediting the agency with expanding solar mini-grids and other off-grid electricity projects in rural communities.
According to AYAGL, improved electricity access is already supporting small businesses, agricultural activities and cold-chain infrastructure while creating employment opportunities for young people.
The organisation argued that the electrification programme could also help reduce the pressure driving young people from rural communities into already congested urban centres.
But beyond its assessment of government programmes, the statement contained a clear political message to Northern politicians contemplating presidential or alternative political ambitions ahead of 2027.
AYAGL urged such politicians to reconsider their positions and align with what it called the emerging consensus in the region.
“Political figures nursing sectional or divisive ambitions within the region for 2027” should align with the prevailing position of the people, the group said.
It added that Northern youths would not allow themselves to become instruments of political fragmentation.
“Northern youths will not lend their strength to political speculation or fragmentation,” the group declared.
The organisation maintained that the North was “resolute, organised and united” in its determination to support Tinubu’s re-election.
The declaration comes as political calculations surrounding the 2027 presidential election intensify, with political actors and interest groups increasingly positioning themselves ahead of the contest.
For AYAGL, however, the argument is already settled.
The group said the administration’s performance should be judged by outcomes rather than political rhetoric, pointing to security, economic integration, human-capital development and infrastructure as areas where it believes the North has benefited.
“Leadership is measured by results, empathy and institutional performance,” the group said.
It argued that the North remained central to the Tinubu administration’s governing agenda and that the region’s youths would support continuity rather than political experimentation.
The declaration effectively places AYAGL at the forefront of the pro-Tinubu mobilisation in the North and signals an attempt to shape the region’s political conversation well ahead of the 2027 polls.
For the group, the message to Northern politicians and voters is clear: continuity, not fragmentation; consolidation, not political uncertainty.
And with 2027 approaching, AYAGL insists that the North has already made its choice.
ENDS
